Cat Stevens - Tillerman in conflict?
He simply poured when something occurred. Lady D'Arbanville (Mona Bone Jakon) and Sad Lisa (Tea For The Tillerman) are little stories born out of circumstances - stories we share.
Someone said - "To read a headache, focus on the tumor". His songs generally express pain rather than reflect taste buds of the audience.
His early days saw him singing of children and the free spirit of adolescence. Personal circumstances then overwhelmed enthusiasm, after which he appeared to have a beef with Christ. His compositions then dabbled in eastern mysticism and without notice, he went off the radar.
After the blip, he appeared to say he is a servant of Allah and that the Tillerman within is in conflict with his servitude.
25 years later, the reverse is proven true when Tea is served for the Tillerman with An Other Cup.
P.S. The Star (blog) has declined to publish this commentary. I wonder why! A comment here I made on Blog Critics three years ago (December 2006)
Cheers, Tommy
Screencast tools: Djay3, iTunes, Screenflow, Lady D'Arbanville, Sad Lisa (Cat Stevens) ©
Album cover: Amazon ©
...he might have a 'beef with christ' , that church-created entity based on fallacies and fables, authored to frighten and subjugate the masses into guilt from which the church draws its funds to sustain itself BUT he definitely does not have a beef with 'Jesus' the reality.
ReplyDeleteNot to long ago I was asked to respond to CS's decision to pump his earnings into islamic schools in Britain which the UK govt has no allocations for. Since I was mockingly approached, I mockingly retorted, "Hey! the dough he has came from when he was a Christian (a Greco-christian, though not a practicing one) during a time when although he was stoned 24/7, he proudly strung that humongous crucifix around his neck. A time when he was at his creative best".......that was my christian upbringing talking.
But then again, looking at this from another angle, CS could have remained a junkie-slave to the recording big-wigs and gone the way of Hendrix and his ilk.
It took a near-death experience (by nearly drowning after a drunken-stupor) to open his eyes to what was happening to him. Brother Dave (I think), a believer in Islamic philosophy, handed CS a copy of the Koran and the rest, is what we see today.
Ok, the funds available to him to pour into Islamic causes in Britain could have come from
when he was 'Christian' (of blind faith to be precise) recording artiste but wasn't he misled?
A free spirit he was but wasn't he without a compass???
He still receives royalties from previous earnings but isn't his spending justified?. He used to be at the beck and call of recording big-wigs at one time but is he today?? His work might not garner the massive earnings of his previous efforts but isn't his work now have more substance??
I am sure he is aware that if he were to churn out another real hit, it would require him to return to his hedonistic lifestyle and draw inspiration from those situations which I think would not be appropriate for him.
His conversion, initially, would have driven him to a near-fanatical realm, to the point of abandoning his guitar, which he has picked up again due to coercion from his son who is beginning to show traces of the old Cat.
On a talk-show not too long ago, CS was asked about his picking up his old instrument again. "Well, the guitar, commonly thought to be of Spanish origins, has its roots in stringed, Islamic-era instruments which was popularised during Spain's Islamic rule".
The point here is, CS might have a beef with the religious principles he was raised on (his 'beef with Christ' as one may put it) but definitely not with 'Jesus' or even the Buddha (when he was exploring eastern mysticism). I think the man has found his peace.